While this is supposed to be a Dr. Gideon Fell mystery, the protaganist is the lawyer or barrister in this case being Patrick Butler. Carr portrays him well as an arrogrant criminal attorney. He’s sso arrogant that he tells people that he’s never wrong and that his clients fall in love with him.
The book opens when he interviews Joyce Ellis, who is accused of poisoning her employer, a Mrs Taylor. When Joyse says that she wants to tell Patrick what happened, he answers that he will tell her what happened.
Once the case is in court, Butler finds a way to show the judge that she is innocent. Afterward, Ellis asks Patrick if she thinks she is innocent of the murder and he said she is guilty as hell. In any case, his reputation of winning the case continues.
Then a second murder occurs and while Ellis may have been suspected of that, now there is another woman who is accused and Butler will defend her as well. After that, Patrick meets Gideon Fell and he says that he has an idea of who committed the murders and a witch’s cult may be involved.
I think it would have been better if that was discovered as the story went along. In any case, Carr shows once again that he is a great writerand builds the tension using Bulter as the main character who may have all the answers. While him and Fell are building a case, he also has to worry about staying alive since there are several men after him as well.
Carr is the master of the locked room mystery and I was surprised as to how the murder gets solved and who did it. The story takes some unexpected turns building the tension further. This was the first book I read by Carr and I look forward to reading his other books. I’ll give this one 4 stars.
Rick Holman
The book opens when he interviews Joyce Ellis, who is accused of poisoning her employer, a Mrs Taylor. When Joyse says that she wants to tell Patrick what happened, he answers that he will tell her what happened.
Once the case is in court, Butler finds a way to show the judge that she is innocent. Afterward, Ellis asks Patrick if she thinks she is innocent of the murder and he said she is guilty as hell. In any case, his reputation of winning the case continues.
Then a second murder occurs and while Ellis may have been suspected of that, now there is another woman who is accused and Butler will defend her as well. After that, Patrick meets Gideon Fell and he says that he has an idea of who committed the murders and a witch’s cult may be involved.
I think it would have been better if that was discovered as the story went along. In any case, Carr shows once again that he is a great writerand builds the tension using Bulter as the main character who may have all the answers. While him and Fell are building a case, he also has to worry about staying alive since there are several men after him as well.
Carr is the master of the locked room mystery and I was surprised as to how the murder gets solved and who did it. The story takes some unexpected turns building the tension further. This was the first book I read by Carr and I look forward to reading his other books. I’ll give this one 4 stars.
Rick Holman